Enjoy The Holidays Without Gaining Weight

The Holidays are an excellent opportunity to spend more time with friends and family, and usually, that means eating. The best moment of the holidays is often the dinner, but there will be a variety of dishes around for days before and after the celebratory food itself.

Do the holidays usually end with you in a food-induced coma?

There is no need to turn your holiday dinner into a diet meal. After all, it’s supposed to be a holiday and a celebration. But, it doesn’t have to turn into a binge either!

Use these six tips to make sure you have a happy and a healthy holiday season without gaining weight:

1) Have Breakfast

Knowing you will be eating a lot of food later in the day might make you think that skipping breakfast is an ideal way to save calories. While this does make a little sense, it’s an approach that will backfire! Instead of saving you calories, skipping breakfast will cause you to overeat when it’s time for the meal because, after skipping your first meal of the day, you will be hungrier than you usually are.

Avoid this problem by having a considerable breakfast, and you will feel less hungry. Therefore, you will eat less later in the day.

2) Drink Water Before and During Your Meal

Water is calorie-free and filling. Drinking water before and during your holiday meal will reduce your appetite, fill you up, and stop you from overeating. Ensure you start drinking water 1-2 hours before you start eating and then take regular sips throughout your meal. Drinking water instead of beer or wine will also help save you lots of calories.

3) Fill Up with Salad and Soup

Soup and salad starters are filling, but contain relatively few calories. You are more likely to stick with better food choices when healthy meal choices are available at all times especially during the holidays.

Make the most of this by having a significant portion as your appetizer. That way, when it’s time for the main meal, you will already be reasonably full and will be less motivated to eat a lot of fatty main dishes. Don’t undermine this strategy by eating lots of crackers or bread, just have the salad or soup alone.

4) Skinless Turkey Breast and Veggies, Please!

Veggies and skinless turkey breast are arguably the lowest in calories of all the food offered and the most filling. Make sure you make these two food items the foundation of your meal. The protein-rich turkey and the fiber in the veggies will satisfy your appetite without taking in a lot of calories. If you are tempted to get a second serving, go for the low-calorie vegetables, as they are the least likely to make you gain more weight. Also, avoid high-fat sauces that will significantly increase the number of calories to even vegetable dishes.

5) Go Easy On the Side Dishes

Side dishes like; mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and cornbread are very high in calories. While you don’t have to avoid these foods totally, it’s the holidays, after all, just don’t go overboard and overeat of these high-calorie meals. If you want to have second portions of anything, fill up on green veggies and white turkey meat. Also, don’t overeat when it’s time for dessert. A little piece will please your sweet tooth.

6) Walk it Off

Once you have finished eating your meal, and the washing up is done, don’t just fall asleep on the couch in a food-induced coma. Instead, go for a brisk walk. Walking is gentle enough, and you can do it soon after a meal. You won’t be doing much rigorous movement while walking, but make it active enough that it will burn those extra calories. The excellent idea is to take your friends and relatives with you, as this will make it more enjoyable.